With thanks to the British Library for my copy
Despite my continued inability to get blog posts written, there are books I have read that I would like to tell you all about, if only I could make myself do it.
War Among Ladies by Eleanor Scott is one of the most recent reissues from the British Library women writers series and was easily my favourite read of September. I love a school setting, and this devastating portrait of women teachers and 1920s education was a thoroughly immersive read.
It is the 1920s, Besley High School for girls is not a particularly well thought of establishment, exam results have been on a downward trajectory, and some teachers find they simply can’t get a better position at any other school. Here, the staffroom is rife with muttered resentments and petty spite. For these apparently nice, often middle-aged English women are in a battle for their very survival. All the teachers are women, all the women are single, living in shabby rented rooms – with little or nothing to brighten their existence. We see them troop back wearily to their rooms, where they are served small, inadequate meals by sour landladies and spend their evenings marking piles of exercise books they brought home with them. The reality of this existence as presented to us by Eleanor Scott is both realistic and depressing.
However, the choices for these women are few – and once the teaching career has been embarked upon, it becomes difficult to leave. It is in the character of Miss Cullen that Scott shows us the terrible injustices that teachers like those at Besley High faced. Miss Cullen is a French teacher, she has been teaching a long time, and used to be pretty good at it, however her methods are old fashioned, and this is further demonstrated in the recent exam results. In the graduation system of the time, a failure in one subject meant an overall failure. So, when only four girls pass the end of year exam, everyone knows it is because of French, because of Miss Cullen. Ultimately, with the shadow of the inspector a constant dread, everyone’s livelihood is under threat, the very existence of the school could be in danger. Miss Cullen is not the most popular member of staff, but now she is openly despised, and knows it. Scott describes her unkindly, it seems – though as the novel progresses, we see feel real sympathy for Miss Cullen and her potential fate.
“She was an ugly figure standing there in the fresh sunlight, rows of young impertinent faces ranked before her. Her hideous home-made dress of brown casement cloth strained across her square, sturdy body and hung in ungainly folds above the thick ankles and flat, broad shoes. It was an odd face, as so many are when you look into them. The skin, reddened and rough, and slack now from want of exercise and years of unhealthy life, stretched tightly across the high, narrow forehead, where no stray line of hair softened the angularity, and sagged beneath the eyes and long, weak, protruding chin. The mouth, set a little open, smiled perpetually, anxiously.”
For as Miss Cullen’s abilities as a teacher have crumbled so has her ability to keep order in her classroom. The girls treat her with great disdain, the group dynamic lending them the bravery to act in ways they wouldn’t if on their own. The noise from her classroom is often unbearable – she is mortified by her lack of control and does all she can to cover it up and excuse it, but of course no one is fooled. Miss Cullen has lost the respect of both her pupils and her colleagues. Miss Cullen is fifty-six years old – she has four years until she can collect her pension, and thankfully retire. There is no mechanism for her to retire early, this is perhaps the greatest cruelty of all. If Miss Cullen (or any other teacher) leaves or is sacked and remains unemployed for the intervening period left before retirement, then they will sacrifice all the pension contributions that have been made so far – and end up with nothing. Miss Cullen is well aware of her failures – but she simply can’t walk away, she would have nothing at all to live on if she couldn’t find another job, and at her age she would be unlikely to do so.
Into this troubled environment come a new, younger crop of teachers. Among them English teacher Viola Kennedy. Viola – is young, and as yet hasn’t been totally subsumed and broken down by the system – she is optimistic, full of idealism, puzzled by the cynicism and resentment, she finds at Besley. As Viola initially holds out the hand of friendship to Miss Cullen, the other staff members are plotting how to get rid of the woman who could destroy all their careers. Viola’s friendliness towards Miss Cullen is treated with harsh suspicion by her older colleagues, and they waste no time in trying to put her fully in the picture.
“IV (the dreaded IVb of last year) was enjoying itself. The noise was such that no human voice, not even Miss Pearson’s could possibly have made itself heard. Girls talking, shouting, banging desks, stamping, all looking at her with merry, challenging eyes to see what she would do.”
An evening with a group of girls at the theatre ends in near disaster for Viola, and a visit from the inspector has everyone rattled. The headmistress is shown to be weak and, in a community, where everyone is apparently watching what you do, gossip is rife when Viola meets a male teacher from a neighbouring school.
The tension for these women is real – their cynicism, suspicion and weariness are not to be wondered at, and it can’t be long before Viola is affected by it.
This really is a quietly devastating novel – revealing the unrelenting misery of an existence where women are trapped by their circumstances and yet terrified of losing that small inadequate bit of independence.
Wonderful review as always.
Thank you 😊
Oh dear, this does sound quite devastating… a bit like the aging governess in the Cazalet Chronicles…
Yes Miss Milliment would have been even worse off in this kind of school. These women had a difficult life.
It is devastating, isn’t it? But with enough light touches to stop it feeling too harrowing.
Oh yes absolutely, written with just the right tone so it never gets harrowing or too depressing.
Great review, Ali. I have this one on the TBR and it sounds like it captures really well the misery working women had to face at the time. Though with the fear of inspection, rivalry etc I’m not entirely sure everything has changed… ;D
Actually, while many things have changed, it’s striking how much is relevant. Mainly in the educational pressures and workload.
This does sound a painful read, although given our current grim times, a useful reminder, perhaps, that some things do get better.
It’s not as harrowing as it could have been as Eleanor Scott manages the tone just right and there is a lightness of touch which really makes it a good read.
Thank you for your excellent review. I read this recently, too, and found it revealing and distressing.
Certainly very revealing, it was dreadful what these women had to put up with.
Awaiting my copy though I’m not sure if I should be reading this in these times. It’s a wonderful series.
Thankfully it’s not a depressing read I don’t think, despite everything. I think that’s because of the lightness of touch Eleanor Scott displays here. The women’s lives are difficult but it doesn’t become unbearable.
Thanks for this really interesting blog post – I will have to look for this at some point.
I hope you enjoy it if you do.
I have this on my TBR. I think I shall have to save it until I’m in the mood for quiet devastation…
Thankfully the tone makes sure it doesn’t overwhelm, hope you enjoy it.
This does sound good, Ali, and I’m grateful for the warning about the bleakness of the environment these women find themselves in – that’s useful to know. The writing looks great though, based on your quotes, and I do like a novel with some petty resentments and grumbles thrown in. Thankfully, I have a copy in my review pile, so no need to go on the hunt for it – phew!
The environment is bleak yet the writing and Scott’s tone saves it from being too depressing and bleak. It’s a very readable novel. I really hope you enjoy it too.
Wonderful review Ali. This does sound a devastating read. I’d have to be in the right resilient mood for it but it sounds excellent.
It’s not a bleak read though I don’t think, though I understand your wanting to wait for the right moment.
This does sound like one I’d like to read, my grandmother, now 96 was born in 1926 and she recently sent me an hand-knitted thank you present for remembering her birthday. It was a dish cloth. I’d rather frame it than use it, but it really got me thinking of the times women born in the 1920’s went through, this such a tiny practical detail, yet it spoke volumes of an almost lost era. Lovely to see this one make your end of year Best Of list too.
It’s a period I find fascinating, the lives of women were so different and so difficult. I am sure you would find this one interesting.